The present invention relates to a dough intermediate that is partially thermal treated and which undergoes a further processing step by the consumer before the dough intermediate is ready for consumption. This invention also describes the method of making the intermediate product.
There are a significant number of dough products currently available in today's marketplace, many of which have been targeted directly for consumers seeking convenience. As the demands of consumers for “on the go” type products continue to increase, so do the number of products that can go directly from the freezer to the oven or freezer to the microwave. Retailers not only want to deliver these convenient products but also want the product to resemble and taste like products one may purchase at a local store or make at home. However, the manufacturing, preparing and packaging of such products can be difficult and expensive.
Traditional methods of baking and corner bakeries have produced dough-based products, such as rolls, biscuits, buns, cinnamon rolls or buns, croissants, pastries, etc. through conventional methods: Mixing the dough, adding any filling, coating or icing and then placing the dough product on a large sheet or pan and baking the dough in an oven to produce the final product which is then put in the display case for purchase. Often, the pan used in the baking process is the pan that is then inserted into the display case to display and dispense the product.
Many commercial manufacturers try to replicate this process in order to create a retail package or product, which would have similar characteristics to those products that one may purchase in a corner bakery or may have baked at home.
The dough intermediates are made and shaped by various conventional processes and then placed on trays, pallets, plates, pans, skids and other devices, collectively referred to herein as “appliances”, created for the convenience of the manufacturer so that they may be transported through the processing operation. The processing operation may include baking, cutting, sorting, packing, icing, filling and various other processing steps in order to produce the anticipated end product.
Once the dough is deposited onto these appliances, the dough can stick to the surface, and if fillings or coatings are provided, the fillings or coatings can also contaminate the surface of the appliance if the fillings or coatings touch the surface of the appliance. This situation is only further exacerbated during cooking or heat-treating of the dough, as pieces of the dough can become more permanently affixed to the surface of the appliance creating hard to remove food pieces. Moreover, in automated processing lines there is some difficulty in aligning the products with the appliances such that spillage or overage occurs when loading the appliances. That is, if the appliance has a raised edge, the products may land on the edge and be half in and half out of the appliance. This causes the line to slow down while the dispensing is adjusted and the line cleaned up.
Thus, while the use of such appliances to move dough products through a processing line has facilitated the growth and speed of commercial processing lines, such operations require that the appliance needs to be cleaned and readied for the next batch of products causing delay in turnaround as well as the cost associated with the cleaning the appliance or, alternatively, the appliance may be simply discarded creating waste and adding cost to the production of the products.
The rise in the use of such appliances has also created the need for supplementary processing apparatus to remove the products from the appliance. These devices are fairly capital intensive and would be unnecessary if other ways are found to process dough products.
The use of such appliances has grown over time and has heretofore been viewed as a necessity for the commercial production of dough products. The appliance provides protection for the processing line, by preventing direct contact between the dough product and the line itself.
Dough-based products and dough intermediates, when exposed directly to the surface of the processing apparatus, will stick to the surface of the apparatus, such as a conveyor belt. Repeated trips of the apparatus or conveyor belt, particularly where there is an oven in the line or other cooking apparatus involved, will cause the drippings or stuck pieces to char or burn creating smoke in the work place and potentially shutting down the line while it is cleaned if the amount of smoke is excessive. In addition, the burning of excess material may also add unwanted, unanticipated and undesirable flavors and textures in the dough product or dough intermediate.
In addition, with repeated trips of dough down the conveying line, as mentioned before, deposits can build up which may create unsanitary situations, interference with the mechanicals of the line, e.g. clogging of belts and gears, and other undesirable situations.
Another problem attributable to the use of appliances can also create or develop an unpleasant taste in the dough product, if the dough product or dough intermediate is required to remain in contact with the appliance for prolonged periods of time. For example, if the appliance is metal, the intermediate may acquire a metallic taste.
If the appliance is made of paper or other fiber-based material, fibers may cling to the sticky dough surface. Furthermore, if the appliance has slots or gaps in the surface, these surface deformities can be transferred directly to the dough product or dough intermediate creating undesirable shapes, which may result in the dough being discarded.
In addition, if the product is baked on an appliance, the product can have a “gummy” texture as the level of airflow is reduced between the bottom of the dough product and the appliance. That is moisture level between the two surfaces remains at an elevated level when compared with the rest of the dough product. This situation can cause difficulty in removing the product from the surface of the appliance.
Another problem that is encountered with the processing of dough products and dough intermediates is the use of a proofing step. Proofing subjects the dough product to an elevated temperature and humidity, which gives the dough a chance to rise. This proofing step may continue for up to an hour in duration. While proofing is a necessary step in the processing of dough, it softens the texture of the dough product and if exposed to the processing apparatus, increases the likelihood that the dough product will cling or stick to the surface of the apparatus.
One solution that has been tried in the past has been to coat the processing apparatus with release materials so that the dough products or dough intermediates will not stick to the surface of the apparatus. However, this solution also suffers from various drawbacks. The release coating needs to periodically be replaced, otherwise the dough product or dough intermediate will stick to the uncoated areas, causing the processing line to suffer from the defects enumerated above. Where the coating is degradable, such as a sprayed-on oil-based release, the release coating needs to be applied at regular intervals. This can cause excessive deposits in areas of the processing apparatus which ultimately requires cleaning, the incursion of undesirable flavors in the food and possibly unanticipated color changes as the release coating interacts with the surface of the dough product or dough intermediate.
Many of the problems associated with handling dough products have dealt with making additions to the processing line; however, surprisingly it appears that the most cost effective means of handling such sticky dough intermediates may have been overlooked.
What is needed is a dough product or dough intermediate that has the appearance of baked goods or pastries found in a corner store, but which can be processed by commercial manufacturers without any of the foregoing drawbacks. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing process to facilitate production of the dough intermediate.